Karaoke Lesson
by xx My heart cries
Summary: Riku loves being with being with his friends, but they are the cause of his anger. His disbelief. Those very same people, the start of his unhappiness, may be able to help.


**Title:** Karaoke Lesson

**Chapter Title:** Song: Sugar Sweet Dreams

**Discaimer:** I don't own Kingdom Hearts! What? You thought I did? Wow, and I thought these things were useless!

**Before You Read: **Ren and Stempyis on. So i might have overlooked a few words that needed to be bolded or italicized.

* * *

I don't believe. I don't believe in soul mates, true love, or love at first sight. I guess you could say I don't believe in love at all. Or rather, someone loving me. Though, there was nothing I loved more than hanging out with my friends. 

I was always the third wheel, too. Not that It bothered me much anymore.

It was still early in the morning and we were walking over to Kairi's house.  
"What's the big surprise, Sora?" I asked him. He said he wanted to tell us, me and Kairi, something.

_It'll totally make the rest of the summer rock!_  
I remembered him saying. Today my curiosity got the best of me and I finally asked what was so going to _'totally rock'_.  
I was indeed a very curious person.

"I knew you were going to ask!" He said. He seemed so excited. I could see sparks of happiness glowing in his eyes. No wonder Kairi liked him so much. His happiness was contagious.

"You'll have to wait. I want to tell you and Kairi at the same time." He said beaming.  
Kairi's house wasn't that far from where we were. Although I couldn't wait to get to Kairi's house, I was enjoying my walk with Sora. Wondering if my eyes were as bright as his or if my hair bounced with every step the way his hair did.

"Okay.." Sora started. I guess he could contain as much excitement as I could my curiosity. We were almost at Kairi's anyway.  
"It has something to do with…..The beach"  
He then burst into a light jog up the road. I could hear his trail of laughter as he got further and further away from me.  
I could see him walking up to Kairi's door. I made it to the foot of her doorsteps, just as she swung it open, and stopped. I didn't want to be in the way.

"Sora!" A half sleep, but no less happy, Kairi squealed. Kairi was usually still asleep at this time. I knew. I sometimes went over her house to help her with schoolwork. It was hard to wake her up, she hardly ever let me in. I would have to climb through her window. She would wake up, confused and amazed, then clobber me with the nearest long and blunt object, I wondered why she was awake now. Or…why she didn't mistake us for some lame door-to-door salesmen. I laughed at the thought of Kairi kicking someone's ass. Not that she couldn't do it. It's been proven many times that she could.

Instead she quickly dashed for Sora and wrapped her arms around him.  
"Good morning, Kairi!" Sora greeted her. He lightly placed a kiss on her cheek. Then stepped back to deliver the news.

A kiss.  
How cute.

"What are you two doing here so early?" She asked and rubbed her eyes. She looked from him to me.

Wha'…That look.  
The one she just gave me.  
Why did she just-

"I have a surprise! Okay, you know that summer beach house my dad has? Well…look!" He started rummaging through his pockets and, after a series of grunts and grumbles, he finally pulled out a set of keys.  
Hmph.

"Well, yeah! My dad is letting me stay there until school starts….which is only 12 days from now…but I can invite some friends!"

"Oh my god! That's so cool! Mr. Awai is the best!" Kairi told Sora. It was true. Sora's father wasn't extremely rich or anything. But he had a lot. And he knew how to take care of his assets.

"When can we move in?" She asked next "Well. Anytime we want. But he wants to know soon whether or not we're going to stay before he leaves off to America.  
….and Riku….." He said and looked at me. I was still standing at the bottom of the stairs. Kairi looked at me again, too.

And again she gave me that look. As if she wanted to-

"….My father really wants you to go. Dad says you're really mature and should watch over everyone I invite. Are you in?"

My mind was gone now. Even though _she_ had stopped looking at me, I continued looking at her. I could see something brewing in her sapphire colored eyes. A storm of questions and answers. I could tell she just wanted to scream something. And only to me. But a sense of unsure ness flew with it. Maybe she didn't know how to say what she wanted.

What was on her mind? Was it something that dealt to do with me?

Ha.  
As if.

She was looking off over her shoulder now.  
Ignoring me. My gaze.

* * *

Needless to say, I decided to move into the sucky place of mush and love thank you very much, Sora and Kairi. It took Kairi an entire two days to get all her things and it took me and Sora one day to convince her she didn't need so much stuff. 

"No, Kairi. You have too much stuff. Just take the bigger room."

"Are you sure?"

She probably felt bad I was by myself.  
What if she knew it was her fault.

"Yeah. I'm sure."

"It's just that…Well, you've been acting so weird lately. So distant."

Are you sure it's just lately?

I managed to not look at her anymore during that conversation. I knew her since I was five and now she wants to notice that I…._act weird_ around her?

"Hm, okay then." She said and went off up the wooden stairs. The summer home was nice. It was, in fact, a mini-mansion. It was hidden by tall Oak trees near the beach. Perfectly nestled between land and sea.  
All the rooms were huge. About the size of two gourmet chef kitchens. So Kairi having the one room that was as big as ten trailers and two kitchens didn't bother me much.

It's been three days and she _still_ keeps looking at me weirdly.

Whatever.

"Hey, Sora. I'm….going out for awhile." I called up to him. I didn't even wait for a reply and just left.

I was seriously starting to feel…..down. Sora always had Kairi. And no matter how many advances I'd make on Kairi, it's as if she'd never like me the way I _did_ like her. The ocean was so calm and flat. Still like in the winter. Summer ice, I'll call it.

The sun was still high in the sky. But you could tell dusk was soon coming. Give or take a hour or two. I started to rest on the beach before _she_ ran up to me.

"Hey. Onii-chan!" Kairi yelled out to me. She jumped on me before I had a chance to throw her a halfhearted smile.  
"Where are you going all alone? Why didn't you wait up when I called your name back at the house?"

Three thoughts ran through my mind.

One. I wasn't talking to you.  
Two. I wouldn't have cared even if I _had_ heard you calling.  
Three. Please loosen your grip so I can talk.

She finally let go of me and folded her arms behind her back. She was wearing a pearl orange kimono with thin pink stripes. The sash was pink as well, Her hair was pulled back into a flipped bun with a some strands coming down at the sides. She looked beautiful in the light of the setting sun. The way it shone on her made her eyes a vivid purple. Though still shiny and lustrous.

"Today is the festival! You know, The Airashii-chan Festival"  
"Oh….yeah. I remember. Half the things you brought had that thi- er, had his face on it"  
I didn't want to make it seem as if I didn't care by calling it a thing.

Airashii-chan was the latest craze with people like Kairi. The ditzy and careless alike.  
But not dense, somehow.

"Um, yeah. Airashii-chan's a girl, onii-chan!"

Right.

"Riku"  
Yes?

"…Well…..I wanted to tell you something. It's kind of important too. It's about your feelings. You know…..love. There is still hope…..you know that….right"  
What was she getting at?

"Sora……he's looking for my Airashii-chan plushy. I don't know where I left it. He'll be here soon. …….."

So she stopped. This thing that was so important to tell me. Why didn't she finish telling me?

"………………And then we're going to leave…….aren't you coming along to?"

I was in no way, shape or form ready to go to a festival. I was dressed in a t-shirt and some baggy, black slacks.  
But I agreed to go anyway.  
I'd go for her.

"Just let me get dressed. I'd look crazy going to a festival like this"  
"Aww, don't worry onii-chan. You may look crazy, but you'd be _my_ crazy friend!"

I had to laugh. And she laughed with me.

I _was_ hers in a way.

* * *

Sora kind of ruined my fun. Took me away fro my little fantasy world. The world in which I belonged to Kairi and he was nothing but a low servant dog barking at the feet of me and my queen sitting high in our royal chairs. 

Am I the only person that would think of his best friend as a dog?  
Oh well. I _guess_ I mean no harm.

The happy squeals from Kairi made my day as bright as it could get. Not to mention Sora never found Kairi's _precious_ Airashii-chan plush toy.

"Come on guys. I want to see the Airashii tribute song"  
"Calm down, Kairi! It doesn't start for another five minutes!" Sora said and giggled. I bet he wanted to see that weird thing dance and sing as much as Kairi did.

"Um…I'll go and get us all something to snack on, 'kay guys"  
"Oh, Can you get me some grape cotton candy, please! Thank you so much onii-chan"  
"Sure thing, Kairi."

I walked up to the vendor and ordered what I came to get.  
"Three cotton candies, please. And make sure that one of them is grape." I told the old guy handling the machines.

"Um. Hey there. You're….You're Riku, aren't you"  
"Who wants to know?" I asked turning around. I eyed the girl who had known my name and thought to myself, 'why?'

She had these huge green eyes and semi-spiky brown hair. She had this strange familiarity to her, too.  
She was a really cute girl.

"Yeah. I'm him." I said and leaned back on the counter and deciding to be nice. Was I trying to be cool?

"Well. My name is Olette. I just wanted to say hello to you. And….well, I hope you haven't given up, either. It's funny. For someone to have loved so much. It's sad it had to come to this"  
"Um. Okay"  
"I realized it just recently. I'm sure you will too."

And then she smiled and walked off.  
People are so weird these days.

* * *

Coming home, I was worn out. Kairi and Sora dragged me on dozens of rides and forced me to listen to ''magical musicals''. 

I had fun though.

Like I said. There was nothing I loved more than hanging out with my friends.

The sun had just set and the three of us decided to walk along the beach.

"Thanks for the wonderful time, guys." Kairi said holding her sandals.  
I could tell she had a good time. She never stopped smiling once the entire time. I wanted to reach over. Wrap my arm around her waist and smile with her.

But all I could do was smile and be happy that we were friends.  
"I'll see you guys back at the beach house. I want to stay here and…well, I just want to stay."

I knew Kairi was standing there. And I knew she was going to try and convince me to keep going.  
"I'll be okay!" I convinced her. "Just go!"

It made me happy that she was so worried about me.

I laid on the beach and watched the night sky. I hated nights like these. The stars weren't out and the moon was nowhere to be seen. Gentle breezes brought on by the ocean blew my hair into my face. I sighed deeply. Holding back my tears. Trying to tell myself that _it_ wasn't my fault before I blamed_ it_ on myself again. The reason why I do not believe in love. The reasons why I decided to give up all hope.

I decided to listen to some music.

_Carry the wings in your heart Tell my heart's soft whispers Now, the wind carries them_

_"Don't worry, Riku."_ I heard her voice say Was that her singing? Surely it was my music.

_My heart's wish is beyond the heavens My heart's wish will be granted Love's key is the future_

The voice continued singing. It sounded very much like Kairi's. So soft and gentle.

_"Everything will be okay. I know. I dreamt about it. "_ Kairi was standing over me. Looking down at me. She had the most beautiful smile on her face this night. She walked over beside me and sat down. She fixed her gaze onto the moonless horizon.

_"Riku. don't give up. Ever. Okay? In my dream. I had. I had three days ago."_ She looked down at her hands. She fiddled at a seashell with nervousness. I wanted to sit up. To look her in the eyes and ask questions. A dream? About me?

But I couldn't move my body. I lay motionless trying with all my might to do anything. Say something! But I couldn't. I could only see her lips moving as she talked. Her fingers move as she struggled to get her message through to me.

_A voice is calling softly at the window And a vision of love appears Even though it is still far away Believe in tomorrow Believe in your feelings_

She sung again. No. It wasn't her singing. It didn't come from her! That wasn't her voice.  
"If only I could MOVE!" I yelled out at the top of my lungs.

And I did.

My eyes opened and my body did as I wanted.

I opened my eyes.

It was only a dream.

I looked to my left and again to my right. Kairi was nowhere in sight. My head throbbed so hard with pain. My dream was so real.

What did Kairi mean?  
_"Carry the wings in your heart……Love's key is the future……even though it is still far away……"_ I repeated to myself. Trying to understand the song from the mysterious voice.

I wanted to scream. Yell. What the hell did this….dream mean?

**"Whose voice is calling softly?"**

Are you sure you want to know?

**_-:_Fin**

* * *

**Coffee Break:** Okay okay, I know what you're thinking. That it's a Riku x Kairi fic...Im NOT going to tell you the pairing, though. And if you want to stop reading my fic just because you think it is Riku x Kairi...then whatever. Just know that I can make the pairing whatever I want. Which is already thought out. And NO it's not Sora x Riku, either. 

Sorry, just had to get that off my chest. Please read and review my story.


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